


Us (Tyrus One Shot)

by green_lemonboys



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, But its worth it, Fix-It of Sorts, M/M, it's my first time on ao3 i have no clue what i am doing, there will be pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-11-09 05:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17995754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/green_lemonboys/pseuds/green_lemonboys
Summary: Set after 3x13.The aftermath of the events of Costume Day at Jefferson, especially with Cyrus and TJ.





	Us (Tyrus One Shot)

“Do I really need to take your orders? It’s baby taters and milkshakes all around of course,” Amber says, as she immediately starts writing down the group’s orders.

“Actually,” Cyrus speaks up, his voice slightly shaky and soft. “I don’t want any baby taters or milkshake, just a coffee.”

“Oh-kay?” Amber says, changing the order, clearly confused. She didn’t get an opportunity to ask further as a customer called out to her in frustration.

Buffy and Andi looked at Cyrus, concerned and confused too.

“Cyrus, is everything okay?” Andi asked, reaching for his hand on the table.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s okay,” Cyrus replied, his voice strained.

“Really, because ever since Costume Day-”

“Can we not talk about Costume Day? Thank you,” Cyrus said firmly, in a voice that Buffy and Andi had never really heard before.

He picked up his phone and got up. “I’m just going to go home,” he said, then turning to call out, “Amber, just make my coffee a takeaway!”

After he had left, Andi turned to Buffy, worried. “What happened to him? He’s been acting weird for a couple days now.”

“I don’t know, but something must have happened with TJ. They were supposed to do a costume together. That’s why he wanted to bail on Mt. Rushmore.”

“Really? I had no idea,” Andi said, sinking into her seat. “I’ve been so involved in my drama as of late.”

“Hey, you have every right to be involved in your own drama, Cyrus isn’t mad about that at all. It’s all probably what happened before we met him Friday morning,” Buffy replied, reaching across the table to grab Andi’s hand.

“I wonder what happened.”

“Me too.”

*

“Thanks for asking me to help you, Buffy. I missed doing this, and plus. It helps keep my mind busy,” Cyrus said, giving Buffy one of his now-rare genuine smiles.

Buffy gave him a matching smile as she caught her breath. “Yeah, I had no idea you were so good at this. Not many people can hand out water, give massages and give pep talks at the same time. Jonah was lucky when you were the Space Otters’ Super Fan!”

Cyrus laughed, “Oh he had no idea, did he?”

“Hey Cyrus, you’re so cool! Maybe you should come for our games and do this,” Caitlin said, as she ran out of the gym after the rest of the girls’ team.

“They have really improved. They just needed me to be a better captain,” Buffy said, smiling to herself. “Wanna go to the Spoon and grab something to eat? I’m famished.”

Cyrus was just about to reply when the gym doors opened and he heard two voices. One all too familiar to him.

“You’re gonna lose so hard, Kippen,” Kira said, as she and TJ walked into the gym, carrying a basketball. Oh no.

“Buffy, can we please go right now?” Cyrus whispered, trying his hardest to move as fast as he could, dragging Buffy away.

“Cyrus, I’m not done packing up yet! Why are you so eager to-” Buffy started to complain until she turned around and saw her two former teammates. “Oh.”

“Buffy, please,” Cyrus pleaded. “Before-”

But it was too late. TJ had seen Cyrus and his face, which was kind of sullen till then, suddenly lifted slightly and he tried desperately to catch Cyrus’ eye. Cyrus, on the other hand, was trying desperately to avoid making eye-contact with TJ. By then, Buffy had gotten the hint, and she and Cyrus had begun to slink out. Unfortunately, fate was not on their side.

“Well, well. If it isn’t the Slayer and her friend,” Kira said, walking up to Buffy and Cyrus, leaving them no choice but to turn and face them.

“Kira, nice to see you again. If ‘nice’ meant ‘terrible’, that is,” Buffy countered, stepping involuntarily in front of Cyrus.

“How is it, being captain of a ‘hot mess’ as I remember you putting it?”

“Well, the ‘hot mess’ you’re talking about is actually playing really well now, and we won our last two games,” Buffy said, feeling a burst of pride and happiness at the memories of those games.

“What’s say we have a two-on-two? See which team’s better,” Kira challenged, putting a hand on TJ’s shoulder.

TJ didn’t say a word, all he did was look at Cyrus. His eyes seemed sad, as if he wanted to reach out to Cyrus, to talk to him, to be by his side. But Cyrus just kept his head down because he knew as soon as he looked up at TJ, he would either cry or scream.

“Actually, I don’t play,” Cyrus spoke up, his voice small.

“Oh really? Then what’s the point of you being here, where you don’t belong?” Kira said, stepping towards Cyrus, not removing her hand from TJ’s shoulder for even a moment.

Buffy felt rage fill up her vision, but before she could rearrange Kira’s facial structure, Cyrus spoke.

He looked up for the first time, looking first at TJ and then pointedly at Kira as he said, “None. Which is why I’m leaving right now.”

With that, he turned around and began to walk away, TJ moving in his direction, as if trying to call for him, to reach for him. As Cyrus reached the gym doors, he turned around, looking back at TJ one last time as tears clouded his vision and he stepped out of the gym.

“Go to hell, Kira,” Buffy snarled, as she raced out of the gym after Cyrus.

She looked around for a bit until she found Cyrus sitting on the bench outside the building, sobbing like she had never seen his sob before.

“Cyrus,” she whispered, joining him on the bench and hugging him tightly, not caring about the rapid rate at which her shirt was getting soaked.

“Why does this always happen to me, Buffy?” Cyrus cried into her shoulder, his words muffled.

“What happened? Please talk to me, Cyrus.”

“Costume Day. You asked me what happened many times, right? I turned up in my Salt costume, but TJ didn’t turn up in his. He and Kira were doing a costume together. And he didn’t even tell me. I should have known…”

“Known what?”

“That I was wrong. That it wasn’t possible that I would actually mean so much to a person. Just like Jonah and the jackets all over again, except this one is worse. Because at least back then, I knew anything with Jonah was unattainable.”

“Cyrus, that isn’t true. You are incredible and amazing. You’re one of the best friends a person can have. And if TJ can’t see that, it’s his loss,” Buffy said, pulling away from the hug to look at Cyrus.

Cyrus whispered, fear evident in his voice, “What if I want to be more than just friends with him? And now it’s gone?”

It took Buffy a minute, but when the realisation hit her, she sat back. “You like TJ.”

Cyrus quietly nodded, tears silently streaming down his face. He wiped his face and got up. “I have to go. Bye Buffy. And, thank you. For listening. But I need to figure out things myself for a while.”

Cyrus walked away, leaving Buffy to sit and think about everything Cyrus had just told her. She was going to need some time to process everything that had just happened.

*

Honestly, after the gruelling practice and emotional conversation she had the previous day, Buffy wanted nothing more than to tuck into her own basket of baby taters in silence. However, the universe really had the opposite plans.

“Buffy,” someone called, and when she looked up she saw none other than TJ Kippen. Looks like she won’t be having solitary tater day.

“What do you want, Kippen?” she said, unable to stop slight bitterness coming out in her words.

TJ sat down opposite her, and he looked terrible. His eyes were swollen and red as if he hadn’t slept and had been crying.

“You have every right to be mad at me. But I just need to talk to someone, and the one person I want to talk to hasn’t even looked my way since Friday.”

“And whose fault do you think that is?” she replied, but regretting the harshness with which she had spoken when she saw TJ flinch.

“It’s not like I wanted to bail on Cyrus! Of course I wanted to do it with him. I had even dressed up in my outfit, but…”

“What happened?”

“Kira came up to me the day before, saying she wanted me to do a costume with her. But when I told her I was doing it with Cyrus, she asked me whether I would rather do a costume with Cyrus or her.”

“So? How does it matter what she says?”

“The way she said it, it was as if she basically asked me if I’d rather do a pair costume with a girl or a…” TJ hesitated, swallowing nervously. “A boy.”

Oh. That bitch.

“TJ, I’m so sorry,” Buffy said, leaning across the table to squeeze his hands in comfort.

“And what sucks is that I was so close to completely accepting myself. Accepting that I’m gay,” he cried, his voice breaking into a whisper on the last word. “And what she said scared me for some reason, and I just panicked. I got scared she may out me, or just use it against me, so I went along with her costume.”

TJ was crying now, and Buffy got up from her seat to go give TJ a hug. Since when did she become the comforter of the group?

“He hates me, doesn’t he?”

“I don’t think he could if he tried, TJ. And trust me, he’s tried.”

TJ laughed weakly. “What do I do, Buffy?”

“You should probably tell him. But it’s up to you. Just talk to him, TJ.”

TJ nodded, moving to get up, but not before giving Buffy another hug. “Thank you, Buffy. But what about Kira?”

Buffy smiled her fake smile, saved only for her devious planning. “Don’t worry, I got her.”

*

TJ Kippen: Please meet me at the swings

TJ Kippen: I’m sorry. But I really need to see you

Cyrus reluctantly made his way to the swings, every step he took he felt a sense of dread build. He saw someone swinging, and soon enough he heard them singing.

“Legs go up, legs go down…”

Cyrus smiled weakly as he approached the tall figure.

“Nice song,” he said, making TJ stop to look at him, his eyes red and raw. “Where did you learn it?”

TJ laughed quietly. “I heard it when I met one of my best friends for the first time.”

“Wow, they must be some kind of friend.”

“I don’t deserve someone as incredible as them.”

That made Cyrus stop. “Maybe they think otherwise.”

“Cyrus,” TJ said, getting off the swing. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have bailed on the costume, but…”

“No it’s okay, I get it. You and Kira are getting along well and you seem to like each other. I understand, TJ,” Cyrus said, cutting in as he put more distance between him and TJ.

“No, I wanted to do it with you! But something happened.”

“What?”

TJ drew a shaky breath and steadied himself. “I’m gay.”

Cyrus’ face went from confused, to realisation, to a smile of support.

“Teej,” he said, moving towards him. He pulled TJ in for a hug, and TJ practically melted into Cyrus, clinging on as if for dear life.

“I’m so proud of you, Teej. Okay? Really proud. But I still don’t understand.”

TJ pulled away and turned away. “Kira asked me to do a costume with her, even after I told her I’m doing it with you. Then she asked me if I’d rather do a costume with you or her, but the way she said it, I…”

“It was as if she was implying something?” Cyrus guessed, his voice soft.

TJ just gave a jerky nod. “I hated myself for going along with her plan. But I was so scared of what she could say, and I wasn’t ready for people to find out. It felt horrible doing that to you,” he said, looking at Cyrus as he sat back down on the swing.

Cyrus moved to sit on the other swing as he said, “What she was implying was wrong. It’s despicable what she was doing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to wait to tell people, or even being gay. I should know that.”

TJ looked at Cyrus, his eyebrows quirked in confusion.

“I’m gay too,” Cyrus said, breathing out a small laugh.

“Really?” TJ asked, his voice quiet and Cyrus nodded, smiling.

They sat on the swings in comfortable silence, as their friendship healed.

“There’s still one thing I don’t completely understand. Why did she target you and me specifically?” Cyrus asked, looking at TJ.

TJ shrugged. “Probably because she figured out that I like you.”

Cyrus stopped his swing, disbelief clouding his thoughts. No way.

“You like me?” Cyrus said, unable to control his joy.

“Of course I do, Cy. How could I not?”

Cyrus got off his swing and engulfed TJ in a hug, leaning his head on TJ’s shoulder.

“I like you too.”

*

“I can’t believe you did that, Buffy! I knew you said you had her, but that is not what I expected,” TJ said, as he stared at Buffy while he held Cyrus’ hand at the Spoon.

“It may have been petty, but she really hurt you guys. Mess with my friends, and you will feel Driscoll’s wrath,” Buffy replied, dusting off imaginary dust from her shoulder.

“I don’t think waterboarding her basketball shoes and then filling them with whipped cream is the ultimate sabotage, but the fact that you did is in of itself legendary,” Cyrus added, feeling nothing but pride for his best friend.

“I prefer to refer to myself as ‘Buffy the Homophobe Slayer’ thank you.”

TJ bumped Cyrus in the side, as he handed him their shared milkshake, complete with a smile and giggle.

“I’m really glad you guys worked everything out, seeing you two fight felt wrong,” Andi said, smiling at the couple.

“Yeah, but now we gotta deal with their couple shenanigans. Yelch,” Buffy countered, fake gagging at the two.

“Oh shut up, it’s just because we are the cutest couple you have ever seen,” TJ said, mocking Buffy’s tone.

Cyrus laughed and looked up at the green-eyed boy, and felt an emotion he had been feeling a lot after the swings.

Contentment. Just contentment.

**Author's Note:**

> ahhhh i hope you liked this fic! this hiatus is gonna end me


End file.
